Weather forecast won't shake up final round plans

With rain expected, officials stick to original tee times

GARRY SMITSThe Times-Union

Published Sunday, May 11, 2008

Players Championship tournament officials decided to start today's final round as scheduled, despite its own weather forecasts that call for a 50-percent chance of strongthunderstorms that might include hail, sometime between 2-7 p.m.

Stewart Williams, the PGA Tour's meteorologist, said the storms are approaching from the west, as usual, and there is always the chance for them to dissipate as they get closer to the beaches.

However, he said there won't be a seabreeze Sunday, which is primarily responsible for breaking up storms.

"The winds are going to be west to southwest," he said. "It's a big line of storms, but we're still calling it a 50 percent chance, which could also mean it misses us."

The Tour has options to counter a forecast of late thunderstorms, which include putting the field in threesomes, off the first and 10th tees, and moving the tee times earlier. In that case, the television coverage on NBC would be live-to-tape.

However, networks usually don't like that for significant events such as major championships and The Players. The final twosome of Paul Goydos and Kenny Perry will tee off at 2:30 p.m.

There is a window of about 1 hour and20 minutes from the scheduled ending time of between 6:30-7 7 p.m. and the 8:11 sunset.

"Thunderstorms usually go through here pretty quick this time of year," said tournament executive director Ron Cross. "We've got some time to play with. The preference is to always end on Sunday, and TV wants the coverage to be live. It might be taking a chance but that's the risk you run with an outdoor sport. As long as they keep saying 50 percent chance, we'd like to think it also means a 50 percent chance we could miss it. The rules officials run the tournament and they've got this down to a science. We trust their judgement."

Mark Russell, one of the members of the tournament rules staff that makes decisions on starting times in relation to weather, said if Monday's forecast called for storms, there might have been more a chance to move up the tee times today. But he said the forecast for Monday is good.